Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that the UK will impose sanctions on Russia, after footage revealed Russian tanks entering Ukraine.
Speaking to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said that Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘flagrantly violated’ the Minsk agreements.
But what exactly are sanctions, and when will they come into force?
Here is all you need to know about the penalties.
What is a sanction?
A sanction is a penalty that one country levies on another country, an organisation, or an individual as a way to restore or maintain international peace and security.
They are mainly put in place by the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).
Sanctions are often used to change the behaviour of a country’s regime in the hope of encouraging an outcome that doesn’t lead to further conflict.
They can take many different forms depending on the situation.
According to the Government website, the most frequently applied are:
- Embargoes on exporting or supplying arms and associated technical assistance, training and financing
- A ban on exporting equipment that might be used for internal repression
- Financial sanctions on individuals in government, government bodies and associated companies, or terrorist groups and individuals associated with those groups
- Travel bans on named individuals
- Bans on imports of raw materials or goods from the sanctions target
The UK has imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and organisations across the years with reasons varying from voting fraud to ties with organised crime.
A fully list of all current UK sanctions can be found on the government’s website.
When will the UK impose sanctions on Russia?
The UK is set to impose economic sanctions on Russia today (February 22).
Following an emergency Cobra meeting, Mr Johnson stated that ‘Putin has now violated Ukrainian sovereignty, he has broken international law. We will immediately institute a package of international sanctions.
‘This is, I should stress, just the first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia because we expect I’m afraid that there is more Russian irrational behaviour to come’ added Mr Johnson.
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The PM laid out the sanctions in Parliament earlier today.
He said that five Russian banks, and three high net-worth Russian individuals, are being sanctioned.
Any assets they hold in the UK will be frozen, and the individuals will be banned from coming to the UK.
This is the first tranche, and further sanctions will follow if Putin goes further.
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